Portable knockdown building



Aug. 21, 1951 A. HEILES 2,564,691

' PORTABLE KNOCK DOWN BUILDING Filed Aug. 2, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN TOR.

ALF RED HEILES ATTRNEY Aug. 21, 1951 A. HEILES 2,564,691

PORTABLE KNOCK DOWN BUILDING FiledAug. 2, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR.

AL FRED HE! LES ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 21, 1951 PORTABLE KNOCKBGWNBUILDING Alfred Heiles, Oceanport, N. 5., assignor to the United Statesof America as represented by the Secretary of War Application August 2,1945, Serial No. 608,569

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 3700. G. 757) 4 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or forthe Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me ofany royalty thereon.

The present invention relates to portable structures, and moreparticularly to buildings made upin sections so that they may be rapidlyand easily assembled, disassembled and transported.

Portable buildings and structures of the prior art have been defectiveon a number of counts. In some, some of the parts have been so large asto be unwieldy. Others have required the application of waterproof paperor the like over the assembled building to keep out weather.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide aportable building construction in which all of the parts are light inweight, relatively strong, and of a substantially uniform size tofacilitate transportation.

It is a further object to provide such a structure which will shed rainupon assembly, without the necessity of providing any additionalwaterproof covering or interlining.

The foregoing objects and others, as will here inafter appear, areaccomplished by a portable structure, the components of which are soarranged as to allow upper sections to overlap lower sections so as toshed rain and, where such overlapping is impractical, to provide guttermeans within the structure to drain off any rain which may get inside.At the same time, all of the pieces are limited in size and are of asturdy construction so as to facilitate portability. The parts are ofsuch configuration and arrangement that they may be readily intermeshedand joined when erecting the building so as to allow therapid andrelatively easy assembling thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a smallportable building embodying the present invention, portions being cutaway to reveal structural details;

Figure 2 is an interior perspective view of that corner of the buildingwhich is in the foreground of Figure 1, the same being shown in processof construction with certain parts still detached and with portions cutaway to show details;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary, exploded, perspective view showing thecentral truss of said building, and particularly the gutter incorporatedinto the upper chord of said truss, a ridge cap, and several roofsections;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional view, taken along the line4-4 of Figure 1, showing particularly the relative positions of the sidewalls, truss, roof ledger, roof sections and ridge cap; and,

Figure 5 is a perspective view, showing the underside of one of theridge caps.

Referring now more particularly to the particular embodiment of thepresent invention illustrated in the drawings, the portable buildingthere shown is constructed upon a rectangular sill I! made up of aplurality of peripheral sill members 52, and cross sill members It,joined together by suitable joints. If a floor (not shown) is to be putinto the building, floor ledgers H5 may be bolted to the inside of thesill members l2, flush with the top thereof (as indicated in Figure 2).

Bolted to the sill l i are a plurality of vertically disposed Wallsections it. Each such wall section 53 is made up of a rectangularframework of studs i5, plates 29 and diagonal braces ll, sheathed on theouter side by a rectangular wall sheet E9, of plywood or the like. Theouter peripheries of the framework of studs l5 and the wall sheet 29 ofa wall section l3 are not coterminous, but are so staggered that thevertical edges of abutting wall sheets E9 of adjacent wall sections l3are not aligned with the vertical edges of abutting studs 55.

This arrangement is illustrated, for instance, in the two wall sectionsEBA, I 3B, as shown in Figure 2, where the right hand vertical edgeportion 24 of the wall section 93A extends to the right beyond its righthand stud l5, and the left stud i5.

hand vertical edge portion 23 of wall section i313 is set in from theleft hand edge of its left hand The amount of overhang and setback isabout half the thickness of one of the vertical studs 55 so that theabutting vertical edges of the two wall sheets ii) are backed up by theleft hand vertical stud E5 of wall section i313. At the corners, thesheet IQ of one wall section (as at 30, Figure 2, for instance) laps thefull width of the corner stud carried by the next wall section. Thelower horizontal edge portions 25 of the wall sheets l9 also extenddownward beyond the lower horizontal plates 2E1, so as to overlap thesill II.

The upper horizontal edge portions 2! of the wall sheets 69 along thesides of the building (such as of wall sections 5 3A and ISB of Figures1 and 2) also extend upward beyond the plates 23. This, however, is nottrue of the wall sections lit at the ends of the building (such assection 13C in Figures 1 and 2) as the upper ends of said wall sectionsare overlapped by the outer sheet parts of gable sections 29 to bedescribed.

It is advisable also that one upright stud (such as i5A of wall sectionISA), positioned at each corner of the building, be of a greaterthickness, so as to provide a surface 3i on the inside of the 3 buildingto which inner wall facings or panels (not shown) may be fastened, ifdesired. Thus, for example, the right hand vertical stud |C (Figure 2)of wall section |3C may be a 2 inch by 4 inch timber and the left handvertical stud |5A of wall section |3A may be a 4 inch by 6 inch timber(the relative positions thereof being shown in the cut away cornersection of Figure 2).

Some of the wall sections l3, as the fragmentarily shown section |3D inFigure 2, are fitted with an auxiliary, vertically disposed stud I8,permanently secured to said wall section. Said auxiliary stud |8 extendsupwardly a short distance beyond the studs l5 of said wall section I3D,so as to receive a truss, as will be explained below.

Some of the wall sections l3 may be provided with doors or windows asdesired (as indicated at |3D and |3E in Figure 1).

At each end of the building, two vertically disposed, right triangularshaped, gable wall sections 29, constructed generally in a mannersimilar to the wall sections [3 already described, are bolted to theupper ends of the wall sections IS. The abutting vertical edges of theouter sheet portions of said gable sections 29 are staggered in a mannersimilar to the arrangement of the vertical edges of the wall sections i3as hereinbefore explained. The lower sheet edges 33 of the gablesections 29 overlap the adjacent wall sections l3 on the outside of thebuilding.

Intermediate the ends of the building, and parallel thereto, arepositioned one or more trusses 35 to sustain the roof. The detailedconstruction of one of such trusses is illustrated in Figures 3 and 4,wherein it is shown to comprise a king truss in two separably connectedparts, each having a composite diagonal and a lower horizontallydisposed half-chord piece '31 separably joined to its oppositecounterpart to form a complete chord or tie-beam 5|, as in Figure 4.Each diagonal of the truss 35 is made up of five pitched, juxtaposedtimbers, permanently bolted together side by side. These timberscomprise the center member or filler 39 (constituting a gutter bottom,as will appear), a pair of rafters 4|, flanking said filler 39 andsomewhat longer, and a pair of roof ledgers 43, flanking said rafters 4|and spaced below the top edges of the rafters.

The rafters 4| are taller than the filler 39 and thus a sloping channelor gutter 45 is formed by these three pieces. To make said gutterwatertight, layers of suitable material (not shown), such as mastic, areplaced between the filler 39 and the rafters 4|. roof ledgers 43 arestepped to accommodate the roof sections 41 and ridge cap 49 (as shownin Figure 4), the tops of the steps being inclined somewhat less thanthe rafters, as in Figure 3,

- for a purpose which will appear.

Each half of the chord 5| is made up of three juxtaposed, horizontaltimbers, each of which comprises a beam or chord section 31, flanked bya pair of ceiling ledgers 53 secured thereto flush with the lower edge.The two halves of the tie beam 5| are joined together by a pair ofsplicing plates 55 attached to the sides of the inner ends of thesections 31. Extending from the peak of the truss 35 down to themidpoint of the chord is a king post 51, the upper end of which ispositioned between the inner ends of the rafters 4| and the lower end ofwhich is secured between the splicing plates 55. For portability, thetruss is separable into its two halves (as shown in Figure 3), one

The upper surfaces of the 4 of which halves permanently includes the twosplicing plates 55 and the king post 51.

The outer end portions of the fillers 39 are notched out underneath toreceive the bevelled outer ends of the tie beams 5| and the upper endsof the auxiliary studs l8 (as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 4).The rafters 4| and the roof ledgers 43 are notched out underneath toaccommodate the upper horizontally disposed plates 2| of the wallsections |3 upon which they rest. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, uppercorners of the wall sheets l9, immediately below the truss, are suitablynotched at 36 to receive the outer eave ends of the rafters 4|.

The roof of the building is made up of a plurality of roof sections 41(eight such sections being required in the illustrated embodiment) andridge caps 49 (two being used in the illustrated embodiment), which areso arranged that the upper roof sections 41 overlap the lower sections41, and the ridge caps 49 overlap the upper sections 41. The roofsections 41 (Figures 1, 3 and 4) are constructed in a manner similar tothe wall sections l3, previously described, and comprise the rectangularframes 59 and the roof sheets 6|, which may be rectangular sheets ofplywood or the like.

As may be seen in Figure 4, the upper edges of the roof sheets 6| areflush with the upper edges of the frames 59, but the lower edge portions62 thereof project beyond said frames. The frames 59 rest in the stepsof the roof ledgers 43, thus allowing the projecting lower edge portions62 of the upper roof sections 41 to overlap the roof sheets 6| of thelower roof sections 41.

Each ridge cap 49 (see particularly Figure 5), which, in assembly of thebuilding, is installed after the roof sections 41, includes two innerridge sheets 63 disposed at an angle to each other, and two outer ridgesheets 65 superimposed upon said inner ridge sheets 63, respectively, sothat the contiguous edges of said four sheets 63, at one side are inintermeshing relationship, with the opposed edges of similar sheets atthe opposite side of the cap, said edges being suitably bevelled for atight fit. Secured below the lower edge portion of each of the innerridge sheets 63, and normal thereto, is a longitudinal stringer B1 andpositioned at several points along each ridge cap 49 are pentagonallyshaped tie plates 69 which bind the said ridge cap 49 into a unitarystructure. It may be seen in Figures 3 and 4 that the slope of the steptops on the ledgers 43 is such, and these step tops are so spaced belowthe tops of the rafters 4| that the upper edges of the sheets 41 rest onthe rafters, while the lower edges of the sheets are spaced above therafters a distance equal to the thickness of the sheet.

At the two ends of the building the roof sections 41 and the ridge caps49 may be supported by roof ledgers (not shown) similar to the ones 43.secured to the inside of the gable sections 29, or by a simple truss(not shown), the peaked part of which will comprise merely a rafter suchas at 4| and a roof ledger 43.

To assemble a portable building as just described, the recommendedprocedure is as follows: a piece of level ground is chosen or a numberof puncheons (not shown) are erected. The sill members l2 and the crosssill members H are then bolted together to form a horizontally disposedgrid-like sill frame I positioned upon the ground or puncheons. Wallsections |3 are then positioned upon the sill H and are bolted to thesill H and to each other. If a floor (not shown) is to be installed, itmay then be supported upon the floor ledgers I6. The gable sections 29are now positioned upon and bolted to the wall sections at the ends ofthe building, so as to overlap the wall sections l3. The two halves ofthe truss are then bolted into a unitary triangular structure which ispositioned athwart the building and parallel to the gable sections, sothat it rests upon the horizontal studs l5--l8 of oppositely disposedwall sections IS. The upper ends of the auxiliary studs 18 extendupwardly between the rafters 4 I, and the truss is bolted to saidauxiliary studs I8 as in Figure 3. The roof sections 41 may then beplaced upon the top of the structure so that their frames 59 rest intosuccessive steps of the roof ledgers 43, the lower roof sections 41being positioned first. Said roof sections 41 are bolted to each otherif desired and to the truss as at 50. The ridge caps 49 are then droppedinto position overlapping the adjacent upper roof sections 41 to bothsides of it, the stringers 61 resting upon the uppermost steps of theroof ledgers 43. Said ridge caps 49 are bolted to the adjoining roofsections 41 and the truss. If it is desired a ceiling (not shown) may besupported upon the ceiling ledgers 53 provided therefor, and also, innerwall panels may be secured to the studs l 5 and the inner exposedsurfaces 3| of the corner studs 15A.

The embodiment aforesaid may be disassembled in the reverse order.

It will be noted that all of the components into which the structure isseparable are approximately the same length, thus making it con venientto package said components for trans porting the building.

The arrangement of the gutter 45 as a part of the truss, which gutter 45is positioned directly below the abutting edges of the roof sections 41and the ridge caps 49 eliminates the need for waterproofing paper or thelike. Any rain falling upon the roof will run down over the overlappingridge caps 49 and roof sections 41, but should any water leak in betweenthe abutting edges of the roof sections 41 and ridge caps 49, it will'becaught in said gutter 45 and precipitated outside the building.

While there has been described what is at present considered a preferredembodiment of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in theart that various changes and modifications may be made therein withoutdeparting from the invention, and it is, therefore, aimed in theappended claims, to cover all such changes and modifications as fallwithin the true spirit and scope of the invention defined by theappended claims.

I claim:

1. A portable knock-down building including roof sections made up ofsubstantially rectangular frames and respective roof sheets securedthereto; a triangular truss; roof section supporting ledgers on thesides of diagonals of said truss stepped on their upper surfaces toreceive the frames of the roof sections with the said frames beside thetruss, with said sheets above and over the truss and so that the roofsheets of upper sections overlap the roof sheets of adjoining lower roofsections.

2. The structure of claim 1, wherein the lower edges of said sheets areextended, said ledgers are inclined so that the upper edges of saidsheets lie at the top surfaces of the diagonals of the truss, and thelower edges of said sheets are spaced above the diagonals a distanceequal to the thickness of the said sheets, the lower ends of the uppersteps defining shoulders. limiting the length of the next lower steps toreceive thereagainst the frames of respective roof sections and spacedless than the corresponding dimension of the roof sections, whereby todetermine the lap of one roof sheet over the next one therebelow.

3. The structure of claim 2, wherein said sheets are extended at thesides and said diagonals of the truss each comprises two parallel spacedapart rafter members positioned to support the upper edges of saidsheets, said ledgers being on the outer sides of the said rafters, and atrough bottom member therebetween to form a gutter leading from the apexof the truss to its extremity, said roof sheets when laid projectingacross and beyond the adjacent rafter members and over the gutter, so asto each lie in alignment and close relation to an opposed roof sheet ofa roof section supported at the opposite side of the diagonal.

4. The structure of claim 3, wherein said trough bottom member stopsshort of the apex of the truss, the said rafter members having upperends projecting a distance in spaced relation, said truss including atwo-piece chord, each chord piece including an inner terminal projectingtie means midlength of the chord, means to connect the tie meansseparately to the end of an opposed chord piece, and a post membersupported at the said tie means and fitted between said projecting endsof the rafter members, and fastenings between the inner extremities ofeach of the said diagonals and said post member, the fastening betweenthe post and one diagonal at least being separable.

ALFRED HEILES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

